1. Field
The present invention relates to a refrigerator including a support portion and a holder portion to prevent a central portion of a front cover from drooping down when a storage tray is opened.
2. Description of the Related Art
A refrigerator is an apparatus to store food in a fresh state by heat exchange based on a temperature difference generated in a phase change of a coolant during the compression, condensation, and expansion of the coolant, such as Freon or methane, for example.
Generally, the refrigerator includes a main body serving as an external body, a freezing chamber and a cooling chamber which are disposed in the main body as storage chambers with open front surfaces, and doors hinge-coupled to a front portion of the main body to open and close the freezing chamber and the cooling chamber.
A plurality of shelves is respectively provided in the freezing chamber and the cooling chamber such that food can be stored on the shelves. Recently, a separate space maintained at a separate temperature range is disposed in the refrigerator to provide an optimal temperature range according to types of food.
For example, a vegetable compartment to store vegetables and fruits and a special cooling room to store food, such as fish that specially requires freshness, are installed in a drawer at a lower side of the cooling chamber.
Generally, in the refrigerator for home use, a user can control the temperature of the chambers such that the freezing chamber is maintained at a temperature range of about −12° C. to −24° C., for example, and the cooling chamber is maintained at a temperature range of about 0° C. to 7° C., for example.
Further, the vegetable compartment is maintained at a temperature range of about 5° C. to 10° C., for example, and the special cooling room is maintained at a temperature range of about 1° C. to 3° C., for example.
Generally, for the special cooling room of the refrigerator, a shelf to store food is loaded on a guide rail formed on an inner wall of the main body to form a separate space such that the shelf can slide and be extracted. A cover is installed at a front side of the shelf to prevent leakage of cool air from the space to form the special cooling room.
Meanwhile, along with a recent trend of a large-sized refrigerator, a width of the front cover is also enlarged. Since the front cover is vertically rotated by hinges provided at opposite sides, a central portion of the front cover tends to droop.
The drooping of the front cover makes it difficult to maintain the special cooling room at a proper temperature. The drooping of the front cover may cause deformation or detachment of the front cover in the long run. Further, the drooping of the front cover may degrade an appearance of the refrigerator.